A. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a check authorization system and method, and, more particularly, to a check authorization system and method that incorporates information on a MICR line of a check for check verification and validation purposes.
B. Description of the Related Art
Check authorization systems and methods are becoming more and more important, since check fraud amounts to billions of dollars lost per year by banks and retail establishments. One such check authorization system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,744, by Warren S. Lee and William Meadow, which is assigned to Payformance Corporation and which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. In the system and method described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,744, information is provided on a check by way of a bar code provided on the check, whereby that information is used to verify the check's authenticity.
Such a system requires that the bar code be placed on a portion of the check that is not reserved for other purposes.